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E. LANGEN. ELEVATED RAILWAY.

No. 550,513. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

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E. LANGEN.

ELEVATED RAILWAY. No. 550,513. Pa tented Nov. 26, 1895.

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E. LANGEN.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

No. 550,513. Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

fiz/yeiaar' Efa en/ Z6010 6/0 Aw jliiqrlugy UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

EUGEN LANGEN, OF COLOGNE, GERMANY.

ELEVATED RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,513, dated November26, 1895.

A ph ti fil d June 28, 1894. Serial No. 516,012. (No model.) Patented inEngland February 25, 1893, No. 4,189 in Belgium February 25, 1393,11'0.103,612 5 in France February 25, 1893,11'0. 228,224; in Turkey March 4,1893, No. 349; in Italy March 11,1893, LXI/1,46; in Switzerland July 5,1893,11'0. 6,598 1 in $Weden October 14, 1893, andAugust 16,1894, No.5,391, and in Austria-Hungary April 26, 1894, No. 47,324 and No. 79,276-

To all whom it may concern: Y

Be it known thatI, EUGEN LANGEN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,residing at Cologne, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Elevated-Railway Cars and Motors, (for which Letters Patent have beenobtained in Great Britain, dated February 25, 1893, No. 4,189; inAustria-Hungary, dated April 26, 1894, No. 47,324/79,276; in Belgium,dated February 25, 1893, No. 103,612; in France, dated February 25,1893, No. 228,224; in Italy, dated March 11, 1893, LXVI, 46; in Sweden,dated October 14, 1893, and August 16, 1894, No. 5, 391; in Switzerland,dated July 5, 1893, No. 6,598, and in Turkey, dated March 4, 1893, No.349,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of elevated railways of thetype in which the cars are suspended from an overhead rail.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a railway of this typesuitable for the transportation of passengersat high speeds in which thedangers and objections hitherto prevalent shall be overcome or avoided.In other words, it is my object to provide an elevated or overheadrailroad having such construction that the occupation of large areas ofground and the ponderous and bulky structures heretofore regarded asnecessary may be done away with; the cars or trains may be propelledthereon at higher speeds than have heretofore been attainable withsafety; the curves, switches, and crossings may be pro j ected andlocated as circumstances require, and whereby provision is made fortraversing curves of various radii without excessive re duction of speedand without exposure to danger or to the excessive friction anddisagreeable motion produced by the use of lateral guards which preventthe car from assuming the positions due to centrifugal force.

It is one purpose of my invention, also, to make provision for theretention of the car upon a single line of rail under all conditions; topermit the free lateral swing or vibration of the car in roundingcurves; to provide means for preserving the normal position andequilibrium of the same in case of high winds The invention consists tothese ends in novel features of construction and in the parts and newcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described, and then particularlypointed out in the claims which follow this specification. I

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and to make anduse my invention, I will proceed to describe the same in detail,reference being had for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an elevated oroverhead railroad constructed in accordance with my invention, a singlecar being shown suspended therefrom. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view ofthe car-body, the rails and wheels being omitted. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a backView of the supporting-frame. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of thesupporting-frame. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modification of thesupporting structure to provide for a double track. Fig. 5 is a detailView upon an enlarged scale, showing a portion of the track-supportingstructure. Figs. 6 and 7 are a cross-section and elevation,respectively, of a portion of the car, showing an extra safety device oranchor to sustain the car in case the connection between the car and thewheels should give way. Figs. 8 and 9 show a cross-section andelevation, respectively, of a modified form of this invention. Figs. 10and 11 are detail views showing the arrangement of the trolley and liveconductor and the safety-anchors, respectively.

The reference-numeral 1 in said drawings indicates the supportingstructure for the carrail. This structure may be either single orduplex, according to the requirements of travel, which may call foreither a single or a double track. The single track is supported atsuitable intervals by a framework composed of three principal partswhich closely resemble each other in general form. One of these parts(indicated in Fig. 3 by the numeral 2) consists of a straight uprightslender column, preferably tubular, the upper portion 3 of which iscurved, with a radius of about one-half the length of the straightportion, more or less, through an arc of a little more than ninetydegrees, so that its extremity is slightly lower than the highest pointof the curve. The two remaining parts are duplicates, each consisting ofa straight body portion a and an upper part 5, which is curved throughan are greater than that of the part 3 and of less radius. The part 2 isset in the earth or any other suitable support, and is upright, whileeach of the parts 4 is inclined thereto at a considerable angle and soarranged relatively to each other and to the part 2 that their lowerends are at the angles at the base of an isosceles triangle and the part2 at the apex. The straight body portions 4 converge slightly from theground upward and their curved portions 5 lie nearly but not quite inparallelism with the curved part 3, the extremities of the former lyingjust below and a little upon one side of the extremity of the curvedpart 3. The three members are bound together by horizontal braces (5 andtruss-braces 7, formin g a structure having great strength, butoccupying a comparatively small space.

The double structure is composed of four principal members, duplicatesone of another, and each having a straight body portion 8 and a curvedupper part 9. Two of these members are arranged upon each side, theirstraight body portions inclined inward from the base upward and theircurved upper portions turned outward. The lower ends of the members uponthe same side are separated widely enough to give a sufficiently-broadbase of support, and from this point they converge to the point wherethe curved upper portions 9 approach each other most closely. Overhanging the latter are two parallel transverse stretchers 10, each of whichextends from a point immediately above the extremity of one curvedportion 9 to a corresponding point over the extremity of the curvedportion transversely opposite. The outer parts of the curved portionsare united to the corresponding portions of the stretchers 10 by webs12, and radiating braces 13 connect the middle parts of the stretchers10 to the curved parts 9. The lower portions of the structure areconnected by horizontal braces 1-1 and truss-braces 15.

In each of the two structures described the single line of rail may-beconveniently formed in two parts, each consisting of an L-shaped piece16, which comprises half the tread, web, and foot of the rail. Theseparts are placed back to back, as in Fig. 5, and united bybolts 17. Eachhalf of the foot portion is provided with a downwardly-turned flange l8,and the two-part rail is placed with its foot resting upon a cross-heador T-shaped support composed of a flat plate 19, arranged horizontallyupon two angle-plates 20, the flanges 18 of the rail-foot dropping overthe flush edges of the flat plate and angle-plates, to which the rail isunited by bolts 21. The vertical parts of the angle-plates 20 lie uponopposite sides of a vertical support formed of two plates 22, whichextend downward far enough to provide a space between the cross-head andthe lower ends of the vertical plates for the ends of curved parts 9 andstretchers 10. Upon the end of each vertical plate 22 is formed a curvedplate 23, curved in an arc struck from the rail-head as a center, itsouter edge being provided with a downwardly-turned flange 21. Beneathand against these curved plates 23 is placed a single curved guard-plate25, provided with flanges 26 upon its edges, which abut against theflanges Bel. Bolts 27 unite the structure, and angle-plates 28 arearranged in the angles between the vertical and curved plates 22 and 23to impart the required rigidity and strength. The structure thus formedis arranged with the vertical plates 22 abutting against flanges 29 uponthe ends of the curved parts 0 and stretchers 10, and secured thereto bybolts, one half the curved guard-plate lying beneath the ends of thecurved parts 9, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be understood that thestructure shown in Fig. 5 is continuous and co-extensive with the railwhich it supports.

The construction of the car is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Itissubstantially elliptical in cross-section and constructed of metal orother suitable material. Its ends are either tapered or wedge-shaped todecrease atmospheric resistance, and it is supplied with windows anddoors, the latter opening upon the side and fitted Within as taste andcomfort may require. Astrong beam 30 extends from end to end in thecentral line of the top, and through this beam pass two strong shafts orspindles 31. These shafts extend downward through the floor 32 of thecar and through blocks 33 below said floor, springs 3a of suitable powerbeing inserted between the floor and the blocks. The slightly-enlargedupper ends of the shafts 31 extend above the beam 30 and lie in seats inthe ends of hangers 35, which are curved laterally or in a verticalplane transverse to the body of the ear, in order to pass beneath theouter edge of the curved guard-plate 25 and then be brought over theline of rail. Upon the upper end of each curved hanger 35 is formed ormounted a truck-frame 36, in which are journaled two wheels 37, arrangedin the same vertical plane. Each wheel is provided with two flangeslying on opposite sides of the rail. Two of the wheel-journals areprolonged upon one side of the truck, and upon each prolongation ismounted the armature of an electric motor of any suitable type, themechanism being properly inclosed by a casing or hood 38. I may alsoemploy an independent arshown in Fig. 5.

mature-shaft, and gear the same with the carjournal in any familiarmanner.

Upon the lower end of the hanger, upon each side of the pivotal axis ofthe shaft 31, is a bracket 39, in which is journaled a safetywheel ortraveling keeper 40, so arranged that its plain periphery lies close tobut not in actual contact with the convex surface of the guard-plate 25,its position being such that any material rise of the flanged wheels 37will bring the safety-wheels into contact with the guard-plate andprevent any further displacement by which the flanged wheels might bepermitted to leave the rail on which they travel. This construction andarrangement permit the car to swinglaterally under the centrifugal forceproduced in traversing curves, but always maintain the safety-wheels inthe same relation to the guard-plate in all positions assumed by thecar. Any excessive swing of the car will be checked by the flanges 26upon the edges of the guard-plate.

The live conductor for the motor may be arranged in various ways; but Iprefer to mount it upon supports 41, arranged in brackets 42, placedupon the cross-head and vertical portion of the structure sustaining therail, as

The supports 41 are movable vertically in the brackets 42, in which theyare supported by springs 43, and the current is taken up by atrolley-wheel 44, rolling on the conductor 45. I may, however, supportthe conductor upon one side of and below the rail, as in Fig. 3, thetrolley being journaled upon an arm 46, which is pivoted upon the hanger35, and is pressed upon and constantly maintained in contact with theconductor by means of a spring 47.

Upon the upper portions of the hangers 35 is mounted averticallongitudinal balancingplate 48, the upper andlower edges of which areextended above and below the points of attachment in order to provide abroad surface against which the wind may act in the event of high galesor blizzards, which might sway the car laterally. As this plate is abovethe point of support of the car, it is evident that any force of thiskind acting upon the car will be counteracted by a like force actingupon the plate.

In order to provide against accident in case the connection between thecar and the wheels should give way, I provide the devices shownin Figs.6 and 7, which consist of a strong bracket 50, securely mounted on thebody of the car and reaching over the rail. The end 51 of the bracketwhich reaches over the rail is shaped in the form of a shoe,with lateralflanges projecting downward. The width of this shoe is made sufficientfor its covering the rail under all circumstances. In the illustrationthe car is supposed to have only one such bracket in the middle, andtherefore the shoe is shown of extra width, so that it covers the raileven when passing sharp curves.

The rail 55, as seen in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings, is suspendedbeneath and forms the lower flange of the supporting-beam, which issuspended from the overhanging ends of the frames. The flange of therail is shaped as a semicircle, on the upper convex surface of which thewheels run. The wheel-truck. 56 carries one or more wheels on each sideof the rail. The wheels and their axes are inclined, so as to allow aninclined position of the trucks. 57 is the armature of an electric motormounted on the axis of awheel. The live conductor and the trolley may inthis case be arranged as shown in Fig. 10. The conductor 58 is mounted011 insulators and located underneath the rail in the center ofcurvature of its flange. The trolley 59 is held upward against theconductor. The safety-anchors 60 are shown in Fig. 11. They are mountedon the car, preferably near the vertical shaft connecting the latter tothe truck, and have two prongs which embrace the rail from both sides.

What I claim is- 1. In an elevated railroad, a supporting structure forthe rails consisting of columns having straight body-portions and curvedup.- per parts, having supporting structures for the rails secured totheir extremities, two of the straight body-portions upon one side ofthe structure being inclined at an angle to the vertical, to bring therail over, or nearly over, its base, substantially as described.

2. In an elevated railroad,a rail having its head, web and foot formedin two similar parts, and a guard plate located below the rail andhaving a curved lower portion, said guard-plate and rail being boltedtogether, substantially as. described.

3. In an elevated railroad, the combination with a car suspended upondoubly flanged wheels running upon a single line of overhead rails, of aguard-plate arranged below said rail and curved in an are described fromthe rail-head as a center, and safety-wheels or traveling keepersjournaled upon hangers supporting the car with their peripheries injuxtaposition to the guard -plate, substantially as described.

4. In an elevated-railroad, the combination with a car sustained bydoubly flanged wheels running upon a single line of overhead rails, of aguard-plate curved in an are described from the rail-head as a center,and safetywheels j ournaled upon brackets or traveling keepers movingwith the car, the plain peripheries of said wheels lying injuxtaposition to the guard-plate, substantially as described.

5. In an elevated-railroad, the combination with a car supported bywheels running upon a single line of rails, of shafts passing verticallythrough the body of the car, and forming vertically pivoted connectionsbetween the car and the wheel truck, substantially as described. 1

6. In an elevated-railroad, the combination with a car supported bywheels running upon a single line of overhead rails, of shafts passingvertically through the body of the car, their lower ends extendingbeneath the floor, springs interposed between the floor and blocksconnected to the lower ends of the shafts, substantially as described.

'7. In an elevated-railroad, the combination with a car hanging fromwheels running upon a single line of over-head rails, of a verticallongitudinal balancing plate arranged above the line of rails supportingthe car, substantially as described.

8. I11 an elevatedrailroad, the combination with a car hanging fromwheels running upon a single line of over-head rails, of a flat,Vertical balancing plate arranged longitudinally above the line of railsupon supports moving with the car, a guard-plate curved in an aredescribed from the rail-head as a center, and safety-wheels j ournaledupon the supports carrying the balancing-plate, the peripheries of saidwheels being in juxtaposition to the surface of the guard-plate,substantially as described.

9. In an elevated railroad, the combination with a car hanging fromWheels running upon a single line of overhead rails, of a verticallongitudinal balancing plate arranged upon supports moving with the car,and a safety bracket or anchor connected to the car and reaching overthe rail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal inpresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EUGEN LANGEN. [L. 8.] Vitnesses R. S. REED,- L. V. GOEBBELS.

